The Lindenwood softball team continued its recent struggles and dropped a pair of games to No. 17 St. Xavier University Saturday afternoon at the Lou Brock Sports Complex. The Lady Lions dropped game one 5-4, and were handed their fourth straight loss with a 5-3 decision in the second game.

Game one was littered with defensive mistakes as the two teams combined for seven errors. St. Xavier led 2-0 after the first inning on an RBI single and a run scored off an error. Amy Kennedy led off the fourth with a solo homerun to give the Cougars a 3-0 lead.

An RBI double later in the inning pushed the lead to 4-0. Two batters later, the Cougars knocked in another run with a base hit.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Lady Lions tallied three runs to break into the scoring column. Danielle Merli led off the inning with a single and advanced to third on a base hit by Sophie Berman, and scored after St. Xavier's catcher's throw to second base to get Berman, sailed into the outfield. Berman later scored on an error by the shortstop with the bases loaded, and Kimberly Ruth drove in a run with two outs to cut the deficit to 5-3.

Merli led off the bottom of the fifth with a walk and scored on a Sophia Galati single to trim the lead to one. The Lady Lions would have a pair of runners on in the seventh, but Bailee Winkler grounded out to second to end the game. Lindenwood stranded 12 runners on base in the contest, and twice failed to deliver a hit with the bases loaded and two outs.

Aubrey Moss took the loss, surrendering five runs, four earned, on 10 hits. She struck out eight in defeat. Ruth finished with a pair of hits and a RBI, and Merli was 1-3 with a pair of runs scored.

After rallying to tie things up in game two, Lindenwood's Rebecca Peddicord gave up three runs in the top of the fifth inning and the Lady Lions lost 5-3.

Jodi Urhahn tripled to lead off the Lady Lions' half of the fourth, and scored moments later when Jessica Long singled. Merli singled to move Long to third, and Macy Bross brought her home with a sacrifice fly.

In the decisive fifth inning, the Cougars posted four hits and plated three runners to grab a 5-2 lead. Merli scored on an error by the first basemen in the sixth to pull within two, and in the seventh, Long had a chance to extend the game with two runners on, but flew out to right field to end the contest.

Ruth posted two hits once again, and Long had a RBI and run scored. Peddicord was tagged for all five runs, striking out four in the process.

Lindenwood (4-8) will look to snap its four-game losing streak Sunday afternoon against Blackburn College.